Mazda MPV

chubb2 · February 2002

Hi all. We got our 2000 DX in Feb 2000. Generally we love this van.

We have had a number of front-end problems though and was hoping somebody could give us the benefit of experience in what Mazda will/should do:

-Alignment done under warrenty at 18,000km (~10,000 miles)

- At 25,000km (~16,000 miles) Mazda replaced front rotors free as they were severely vibrating when braking.

- Now, at 38,000 km (25,000 miles) they are starting to deteriorate rapidly again.

Car is very well treated!! Any suggestions?

j2kbarlow · February 2002

No problems on our MPV, but we did have them on our Outback that we traded for the MPV. Our scenario was the same, problem kept coming back. Unfortunately, I can't tell you how we resolved it since we sold the car. Since it's not a common problem (not common for Subie's either), I'm guessing it has something to do with variances in manufacturing tolerances - maybe something in the suspension doesn't line up well. Someone else had an issue with rear suspension being out of manufcaturing tolerances. You may want to have that checked. Also, make sure the lug nuts are being hand-torqued to factory specs. Cranking down on them with an impact wrench (like most shops do) can damage the rims and warp the rotors.

maltb · February 2002

Also, avoid riding the brakes. Does anyone drive the vehicle with 2 feet?

Another possibility is that the rotors get wet when they are hot. Avoid car washes after a lengthy drive.

billmckinley · February 2002

Have to make this quick or Kirstie will catch me. Glad to hear "yunz" are from the area. Bringing a little class to the wilds of Tejas. BTW, I've never driven The Prez down that way [reqcon].

RJ

javadoc · February 2002

I use LFB (Left foot braking) about 75% of the time, but that's because of years of scca racing. I find myself using lfb on the MPV alot, but it drives my wife crazy when I do it. However, I don't leave my foot on the brake. :-)

I can't think of any reason the MPV's brakes would be doing this except warpage. Warpage, from my experience is due to riding the brakes (like maltb said), and/or getting them too hot, like by towing or hauling heavy loads, or possibly poorly designed ventilation. My 850 Volvo had an appetite for rotors, until I went to slotted rotors. Haven't had a warped rotor since then.

/j

bob57 · February 2002

I think Chubb has a problem with the suspension since rotors replaced already. Has anyone checked both the joints and steering for worn out bushings? Alignment is fine but wait 100 miles and get it checked again - I bet it's off.
Replacing bad rotors with bad rotors "could" happen but percentage wise.....

javadoc · February 2002

I agree with our witty friend from Texas (Bob), it's probably not the rotors that are at issue, it's sounding like a front end suspension that isn't acting properly. I'd like to see the measured toe in/out specs on the front wheels. A dollar of monopoly money (so's we're not really betting) says the toes out of whack, possibly more. Or, who puts your wheels on your van? Tire shops are apt to crank those lug nuts on with way too much torque and that will warp a rotor in nothing flat.

/j

avalon02wh · February 2002

Back in June of 2000, Mazda sent tire information out as part of a recall. The owner was instructed to put new labels on the door and in the owner's manual. The new label said that tires with a load rating of 94 should be used. The MPV uses a 205/65 15 tire.

This creates a bit of a problem. The 205/65 15 tires typically carry a load rating of 92 not 94. If you check the Tire Rack, they will recommend a 92 load rating tire. I sent them an e-mail asking for clarification.

The OEM tires are made by Yokohama. Yokohama had the following on their web site when I tried to find tires for the MPV: "We are sorry, but we do not carry the appropriate tire size and speed rating combination for your vehicle."

If you go to your local tire dealer they might give you 92 rated tires. My local dealer was able to locate 205/65 15 tires with a rating of 94 -- Cooper Lifeline SLE.

Those of you thinking of buying a MPV should check the tires. Replacement tires might be difficult to find in the 15 inch size with a 94 load rating.

The 02 MPV still uses the 205/65 15 tires (with a 94 load rating). This is, in my opinion, too small a tire for a 3800 pound vehicle. Keep in mind that 205/65 15 tires are found on a 99 Taurus (3250 pound car) and a 2002 Avalon (3400 pounds).

bob57 · February 2002

Trolled the "other" site. Saw that Kia recommends a 7K oil change but only a 15K filter change. That seems a little strange. One of the people said (how true) why put clean oil in on top of a dirty filter.
I wanted to post an agreement but decided not. Canary syndrone...
Excel - if you're reading this - change the filter with the oil.

maltb · February 2002

way back when, Mazda did the same.

I think that was fairly common until they realized they were loosing out on profit.

javadoc · February 2002

I didn't see that, but correct, why put clean oil thru a dirty filter, they get filthy fast. Cut a filter open after just 1,000 miles and you'll be amazed at the crud in there already. I change my filter every 3 months, oil twice a year (that's synthetic...) on each of my cars. I did switch to the K&N oil filter for the MPV. Thx to Tb for introducing that gem for the masses.

/j

pjd58 · February 2002

with hacksaw in hand cutting open an oil filter:)

You must have alot of spare time......hehehehe:)
I know you don't with Wife,kids,Job, school etc!
Pjd58

javadoc · February 2002

well, the bandsaw is too messy... and an entirely different story, lol.

I still have that annoying clunk when I go over bumps in Mochavan, if anyone has that also (reqcon).

/j

stone20 · February 2002

I have the same problem, mostly when its cold. The dealer said some kind of lubricating plug is failing and needs replaced. They already replaced once and its back again. I also have the noise of the caliper kit not working correctly on the front end noise. Two noises at once its great!!!!

stevecanuck · February 2002

Someone with problems in an MPV? Say it isn't so. Are you sure you don't drive a Kia

I've got an idea that turning up the radio should fix that problem.

BTW, I was over in the other boards and saw a Hyundai Excel blowing a lot of smoke a few days ago. Shame on you for winding it up Mr. Javadoc.

javadoc · February 2002

stevecanuck... you should read my In-box for the past week. :-0

Stone, a lubricating plug? Do tell me more.

/javadoc

pjd58 · February 2002

two noises at the same time......kinda cancel each other out:)

All kidding aside, give us more info on this lubricating plug, I never heard of it.

Maltb,Alex...any ideas?

Pjd58

tweety6583 · February 2002

After reading posts about problems with quick-lube shops, I have religiously taken my 01 MPV to the Mazda dealership. Now I am nervous, today the service manager asked what grade of oil I wanted, I said you guys are the experts and my MPV has been there 4 times now and you never asked me before. Well today they put in 10w30 and when I got home I dug out my previous records and found they had been putting in 5w30. The owners manual recommends 5w20 or 5w30. I am in Northwest Ohio and the van is driven both city and highway. Any thoughts or recommendations, is the 10w30 going to hurt anything????

Thanks All
Gary

stevecanuck · February 2002

Your dealer put an oil in that is not recommended by your manual. I wont go in to the whole issue of tighter clearances in modern engines, just take it back and ask for a new oil change with the *right* oil.

Ask for the filter also.

BTW you are paying extra for their expertise. The local minute lube would do the job for a lot less. Remind them of this and that your time is valuable. You should get something free out of this,like a detailing or something.

msgjvh · February 2002

Tweety,

The only reason Mazda recommends 5-30 is so they can improve their EPA standing with the US Gov. 10-30 will not hurt anything except put a few more bits of carbon into the ozone. Rest with confidence either way since you had the dealer do it. You have proof that they knew what to put in and instead put the wrong weight in. But you do not have to worry. You may want to consider the switch to Synthetic soon and insist on a quality filter never one from Fram for the MPV. Those work great on my old Mustang and Subbie but not for the Hi output of the Duratec.

MSGJVH

bob57 · February 2002

I've been using 10W30 (Pennzoil) on my '01 in our hot climate as I think everyone does down here (already mowed the yard this month..). Haven't observed or seen any problems - oil comes out very clean.
Managed 24.1 mpg last week - 80% highway and 20% stop and lost.
I'm still amazed how tight and rattle free the MPV has been so far at almost 21K. I haven't experienced the clunks or bumps you guys are having. Of course, I was born right after the Jurassic period (or so my kids think) and my hearing could be that 20% lost.

stone20 · February 2002

I pulled the repair bill and its not real clear on what they repaired. This is what it reads: R0401XRX Stabilizer Bar and/or Rubber Bush, R@R. The dealer called it some kind of Lubricating plug. I will find out more information on this problem when they repair it again. I will inform. JL

javadoc · February 2002

Thx, I'd love to find out what that clunk/thump is, esp. since I've only got six months of warranty left.

/java

scarter7719 · February 2002

Java, have you considered the possibilty that there's a conspiracy afoot in the back of your MPV? I understand those things can be pretty nasty

The only thump I have is from the front passenger side when driving over bumpy roads. It makes a little more noise than I'm used to. Too much strut travel I guess. Fortunately, no rear noise - no lubricating plugs, thank you ...

SC

otish · February 2002

My MPV makes some noises in the cold weather too - especially the front squeeks some when going over speed bumps. We also have this rattle in the back - sounds like the drivers side and seems to be something inside. We need to investigate more what that is. Otherwise it is great and we usually don't hear them over the sounds of radio/CD and 2 kids.

rutger3 · February 2002

Is there a more uncomfortable 3rd seat than the one in the MPV? My 15 yr old son complains whenever I put him there,not enough leg room,the seat back not high enough,blah blah. Probably due to the hideaway seat. He even complains that the 2nd row buckets are not comfy on his little neck. What am I do to with him? I have ridden in the 3rd seat and do understand his complaint,but not the 2nd row. It would be nice though if the headrests were adjustable fore and aft.

j2kbarlow · February 2002

...sounds like you may need to tighten the bolt holding your jack in place.

pjd58 · February 2002

Never heard of a teenager that doesn't complain about something. I agree the MPV's 3rd row isn't the most comfortable, roomy seat. Mine 9 year old has no problem with it. When he is a teenager, I'm sure I will hear the complaints.

Never heard of a headrest moving fore and aft.

There is no perfect Mini-van,the MPV is the closest to perfection for our family.

Pjd58

javadoc · February 2002

I've seen headrests go up/down and also some that tilt (rotate?). Maybe that's what Rutger was referring to. I'm not a good judge of the rear seat, since the munchkins that infrequently use that seat are all under the age of seven, but I would have to agree, it's a compromise. I always thought teenagers quit speaking to the parents. Shucks, I was looking forward to some silent years.

/j

maltb · February 2002

I thought it was bad enough to sit between two car seats in the 3rd row. But when you have 3 and 5 year old daughters holding your hands as mom drives, nothing really matters.

billmckinley · February 2002

I think you struck right to the heart of your son's complaint about the second row seats when you said "15-year-old." And just think--in about a year, he won't be complaining about the second- or third-row seats; he'll be complaining about the left front-row seat and the fact that somebody beside him exclusively is occupying it.

;>

RJ

evaddave · February 2002

I've been in the third row seat in the MPV, and I'll have to agree it's cramped. Best suited for little kids. I'm about as tall as the average 15 year old, only I'm a bunch rounder. Our 10 year old prefers the third row, but that's because (1) the center seat doesn't have a shoulder belt, and (2) it's easier for her to see the RSES from there.

The headrests in my Solara rotate forward and back, and since they're taller than they are thick, rotating them gives them a kind of fore and aft movement.

Rutger3: If you still have complaints from your son, try seating him on the roof rack. He might still complain, but you won't hear it.

stone20 · February 2002

Same boat on warranty. I will be scheduling my appointment tomorrow. I will inform.

rutger3 · February 2002

Yes, I did mean tilt,and they should. The roofrack is not a bad idea,plenty of leg room there. BTW,wouldn't it be nice if power retractable headrests were designed so when not needed they can be lowered into seatback and give you better vision when backing up.Wouldn't be surprised if some Mfg. already has them.

maltb · February 2002

I know benz was doing that 10+ years ago.

All these nice ideas only cost money.

tboner1965 · February 2002

...in my SVT Contour tilt 8^)

TB

rutger3 · February 2002

I was just in the mood to rant about the damn Ody. This vehicle seems to go against all logic in defying the laws of depreciation which apply to most every other vehicle in existence. It is like no other vehicle I have ever seen in the incredible high resale values it commands. Can someone please explain to me why this is? Is Honda purposely holding back production? Does it come with gold in the glovebox? Does it go 0-60 in 3 seconds and get 60mpg? I admit some of this is jealousy,because no matter how loyal an MPV owner,we all know that come resale time we will take a hit,no matter how unfair it seems. Has there ever been another vehicle like this? I use to think that people were crazy to pay full MSRP and wait 3-5 months for any vehicle,and I still do not like dealing with the Honda Dealers,but it does not seem so wacky anymore. From a financial point of view it almost makes sense.

maltb · February 2002

The Odyssey's exhaust doesn't stink.

Honda has built an amazing reputation based on solid cars and good marketing. People's perception of these machines has made them immortal.

javadoc · February 2002

It's what I call "H-Syndrome." I've seen Ody's on used lots for higher prices than new... go fig're. If it's that good, why look for a classic muscle car as an "investment." lol!

My marketing professor jokingly has a mathematical calculation to figure out that marque's depreciation. I'll have to grab my notes for that, but it's humorous.

/j

bob57 · February 2002

I drove Honda's for 13 years (Accords). Built like a rock and drive until you get tired of them but the Honda dealers are the worst of the lot. If you just happen to get "your" price you've spent the better part of a day going through 10 assistant sales guys who will argue over that last $100 difference. I kept one dealership open an hour and a half past closing making a deal. Maybe they were using me as a training aid...
On the other hand, the one Mazda dealer under my "short circumstances", was not exactly praise worthy either.
Java - try keep your frozen north up there. It was 21 degrees last night! Houston has shutdown and will not revive until this weekend when it's expected to get back to at least cool - 70!

otish · March 2002

Has anyone here gotten their seat belt buckle replaced because they had a hard time getting their child safety seat installed? I just read a post at the Parentsplace.com child seat board about a TSB that is out about replacing the buckle so that it swivels more than the 45 degrees to make installation easier. I personally do not have a problem getting a good fit with my seat (a Fisher Price Safe Embrace and it is rock solid) but some people have posted about problems they think is related to the way the buckle is designed. The poster said she saw the info on a Yahoo site for the MPV. I thought maybe someone could post info about it here too if they know about it. She thought it had to do with 2000 model only which leads me to ask if the buckle stalk works differently in 2001 (my van is a 2000). The stalk rotates 45 degress in the 2000 according to this post and replacement goes to 90 degress I believe. Any info anyone?

alexv1n · March 2002

You can find information on MPV's Technical Service Bulletins here: http://www.vakcer.com/mpv/info

And the Yahoo group that you referred to is here: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/mpv2000

There were quite a few posts on car seats there. Just do a search in the message archive.

I hope it helps.

alexv1n · March 2002

I just did a search for the TSB on NHTSA web site and they now do have it listed there as well. So the TSB info is correct on www.vakcer.com/mpv site.

See for yourself: http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov/cars/problems/tsb/

subearu · March 2002

Anyone know if they make a conversion kit for a child seat with the top tether attachment?

-Brian

j2kbarlow · March 2002

The attachments for the tethers should be standard. There are two for the middle row and one for the third (middle position). The ones for the middle row are on the floor under plastic covers. The one for the rear is on the outer "wall" of the seat well under a plastic cover.

brmuda · March 2002

Hey. Sometime ago, a few folks on this board had mentioned that they found a nice "clutter catcher" console (for between fr bucket seats) at their local WalMart. I checked out my local store (Chgo burbs) and only found 2 models (one was $10; the other around $20) of which neither fit (way too wide).

The one that was mentioned on this board before, I thought was quoted for less than $50 and I also recall folks stating that it would only fit if it were slid in from the rear.

If anyone can direct me to where I might find one of these, PLEASE post here or e-mail me at brmuda@hotmail.com.

Many thanks.

brmuda

subearu · March 2002

I know it has the tether attachments, as does my Outback. I just was wondering if they make a conversion kit for the childseat w/o the LATCH connections. Our Safe Embrace seat has the tether anchor on it, just not the LATCH connections. I guess we could always get a new one, but this one is only 6 months old.

-Brian

j2kbarlow · March 2002

Sorry I didn't equate LATCH with Tether - but I know where you're coming from. I'd be interested in it too if there is a retrofit.

javadoc · March 2002

Brian,

Check HERE for some info that may be helpful for you. Basically, it depends on what child seat you have as to if there are any retrofits available. I use Fisher-Price Safe Embrace II seats in my cars and would love to try out their built-in LATCH feature.

Hope that helps. I have other sources if you want. Speaking of car seats, I noticed that the Safe Embrace II is now discontinued. Does NE1 have info on this? I wanted to make sure there's no recall on them.

/javadoc

javadoc · March 2002

Here is a site that illustrates one way of attaching a seat using LATCH attachment points,using the Safe Embrace II child seat. Pardon the evident use of a DC van in the demo. Incidentally, we used this in a DC rental van last spring on vacation (forgot that from the prev. post)... the only redeeming quality of that rental van... and I would love to have had LATCH available on our '00 MPV.

/java

Mazda MPV

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